When I got an email from Joseph saying that he wanted me to photograph his surprise proposal to his girlfriend, Emily, I was super excited. I love helping people with fun surprises, especially when it’s the biggest surprise of their life.

He wanted to set it up for the day after Thanksgiving since they’d be in town visiting relatives. They would go for a hike through the park at Crystal Lake and he’d find a spot to stop and propose to her. Since he lives in Pittsburgh though, I volunteered to scope out the park and find a spot.

I found a spot, we came up with several back up plans in case things didn’t go as planned or the weather didn’t cooperate. That morning, the sun was shining brightly and we were a go!

I followed a short distance behind them as they hiked through the woods and got a little nervous when I couldn’t find them. Luckily, they hit a dead end and had to turn around. Once Joseph spotted me, he turned Emily towards him, got on one knee and asked her to marry him.

She was so surprised! It was a really sweet moment. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for these two.

Here’s some highlights.